There is plenty of anecdotal evidence and research that cryotherapy offers health benefits. But whole body cryotherapy is still being researched. A healthcare professional can help figure out what&#;s right for you.
Cryotherapy, which literally means &#;cold therapy,&#; is a technique where the body is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for several minutes.
Cryotherapy can be delivered to just one area, or you can opt for whole-body cryotherapy. Localized cryotherapy can be administered in a number of ways, including through ice packs, ice massage, coolant sprays, ice baths, and even through probes administered into tissue.
The theory for whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is that by immersing the body in extremely cold air for several minutes, you could receive a number of health benefits. The individual will stand in an enclosed chamber or a small enclosure that surrounds their body but has an opening for their head at the top. The enclosure will drop to between negative 200&#;300°F. They&#;ll stay in the ultra-low temperature air for between two and four minutes.
You can get benefits from just one session of cryotherapy, but it&#;s most effective when used regularly. Some athletes use cryotherapy twice a day. Others will go daily for 10 days and then once a month afterwards.
Cryotherapy can help treat migraines by cooling and numbing nerves in the neck area. One study found that applying a neck wrap containing two frozen ice packs to the carotid arteries in the neck significantly reduced migraine pain in those tested. It&#;s thought that this works by cooling the blood passing through intracranial vessels. The carotid arteries are close to the skin&#;s surface and accessible.
Many athletes have been using cryotherapy to treat injuries for years, and one of the reasons why is that it can numb pain. The cold can actually numb an irritated nerve. Doctors will treat the affected area with a small probe inserted into the nearby tissue. This can help treat pinched nerves or neuromas, chronic pain, or even acute injuries.
The ultra-cold temperatures in whole-body cryotherapy can cause physiological hormonal responses. This includes the release of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and endorphins. This can have a positive effect on those experiencing mood disorders like anxiety and depression. One study found that whole-body cryotherapy was actually effective in short-term treatment for both.
Localized cryotherapy treatment isn&#;t the only thing that&#;s effective at treating serious conditions; one study found that whole-body cryotherapy significantly reduced pain in people with arthritis. They found that the treatment was well-tolerated. It also allowed for more aggressive physiotherapy and occupational therapy as a result. This ultimately made rehabilitation programs more effective.
Targeted, localized cryotherapy can be used as a cancer treatment. In this context, it&#;s called &#;cryosurgery.&#; It works by freezing cancer cells and surrounding them with ice crystals. It&#;s currently being used to treat some low-risk tumors for certain types of cancer, including prostate cancer.
While more research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy, it&#;s theorized that whole-body cryotherapy could help prevent Alzheimer&#;s and other types of dementia. It&#;s thought that this may be an effective treatment because the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of cryotherapy could help combat the inflammatory and oxidative stress responses that occur with Alzheimer&#;s.
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with signature symptoms of dry and itchy skin. Because cryotherapy can improve antioxidant levels in the blood and can simultaneously reduce inflammation, it makes sense that both localized and whole-body cryotherapy can help treat atopic dermatitis. Another study (in mice) examined its effect for acne, targeting the sebaceous glands.
The most common side effects of any type of cryotherapy are numbness, tingling, redness, and irritation of the skin. These side effects are almost always temporary. Make an appointment with your doctor if they don&#;t resolve within 24 hours.
You should never use cryotherapy for longer than is recommended for the method of therapy you&#;re using. For whole body cryotherapy, this would be more than four minutes. If you&#;re using an ice pack or ice bath at home, you should never apply ice to the area for more than 20 minutes. Wrap ice packs in a towel so you don&#;t damage your skin.
Those with diabetes or any conditions that affect their nerves should not use cryotherapy. They may be unable to fully feel its effect, which could lead to further nerve damage.
If you have any conditions you want to treat with cryotherapy, make sure you discuss them with the person assisting with or administering your treatment. It&#;s always a good idea to consult your doctor before using any type of therapy.
If receiving whole body cryotherapy, wear dry, loose-fitting clothing. Bring socks and gloves to protect from frostbite. During therapy, move around if possible to keep your blood flowing.
If you&#;re getting cryosurgery, your doctor will discuss specific preparations with you beforehand. This may include not eating or drinking for 12 hours beforehand.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence and some research supporting the claims that cryotherapy can offer health benefits, but whole body cryotherapy is still being researched. Because it&#;s still being researched, talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to assess whether it&#;s right for you.
In this article, we look at some of the possible benefits to be had from cryotherapy healing, as well as other facts a person may need to know before they consider it.
Research on cryotherapy is as new as is the trend for the treatment. So doctors do not fully understand all the potential benefits and risks of the process.
People, including self-described &#;Iceman&#; Wim Hof, claim that extreme cold can improve mental and physical health and even prolong life. So what does the science say?
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Cryotherapy involves treatments that use freezing or near-freezing temperatures. There are various potential physical and mental health benefits.
A person must never sleep during cryotherapy, and they should time each session to ensure it is not longer than the recommended timeframe.
Having a cryotherapy treatment for any longer than a few minutes can be fatal.
Pregnant women, children, people with severe high blood pressure , and people with heart conditions should not try cryotherapy.
It is generally safe , but it is important to talk to a doctor before trying cryotherapy.
Though unpleasant to begin with, cryotherapy tends to get better with each treatment, as the body adjusts to the low temperature.
Doctors, however, also use cryotherapy. For instance, very cold temperatures can be used to freeze off warts or cancerous cells.
This is non-medical treatment in a spa or similar setting.
Most people use the term cryotherapy to refer to whole-body cryotherapy.
Some people undergo cryotherapy facials, which apply cold to the face only. Others use a cryotherapy wand to target specific areas, such as a painful joint.
The most popular form of cryotherapy involves sitting in a cryotherapy booth for 3&#;5 minutes.
Research may eventually undermine other purported benefits of cryotherapy. However, preliminary studies suggest that cryotherapy may offer the following benefits:
Cryotherapy can help with muscle pain, as well as some joint and muscle disorders, such as arthritis. It may also promote faster healing of athletic injuries.
Doctors have long recommended using ice packs on injured and painful muscles. Doing so may increase blood circulation after the ice pack is removed, promoting healing and pain relief.
A study published in found that cryotherapy offered temporary relief from the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. The research found that cryotherapy with ice packs could reduce the damaging effects of intense exercise. People who used cryotherapy also reported less pain.
Another study also supports the benefits of cryotherapy for relieving muscle pain and speeding healing. However, the study found that cold water immersion was more effective than whole-body cryotherapy.
Not all studies support the role of cryotherapy in muscle healing. A Cochrane Review looked at four studies of cryotherapy for the relief of muscle pain and found no significant benefits.
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Cryotherapy providers have suggested it can help with weight loss, but studies may suggest otherwise.Cryotherapy alone will not cause weight loss, but it could support the process. In theory, being cold forces the body to work harder to stay warm.
Some cryotherapy providers claim that a few minutes of cold can increase metabolism all day. Eventually, they claim, people no longer feel cold because their metabolism has adjusted and increased in response to the cold temperature.
A small study found no significant changes in body composition after 10 sessions of cryotherapy.
Because cryotherapy helps with muscle pain, it could make it easier to get back to a fitness routine following an injury. This potential weight loss benefit is limited to people who cannot or will not exercise because of pain.
Inflammation is one way the immune system fights infection. Sometimes the immune system becomes overly reactive. The result is chronic inflammation, which is linked to health problems, such as cancer, diabetes, depression, dementia, and arthritis.
As such, reducing inflammation could also improve overall health and reduce the risk of numerous chronic ailments.
Some studies suggest that cryotherapy can reduce inflammation. However, most research has been done on rats, so to confirm the data, more research is needed on people.
If cryotherapy reduces inflammation, it could also reduce the risk of developing dementia.
A paper puts forward the possibility of cryotherapy being able to reduce the inflammation and oxidative stress associated with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and other age-related forms of cognitive decline.
Because whole body cryotherapy might reduce inflammation, it is possible it could also lower the risk of developing cancer.
So far, there is no evidence that cryotherapy can treat cancer once the disease has developed. However, medical cryotherapy is a well-established treatment for certain forms of cancer.
A doctor might use cryotherapy to freeze off cancer cells on the skin or cervix and occasionally to remove other cancers.
Research findings that cryotherapy may reduce inflammation suggest that it could treat mental health conditions linked to inflammation. Some preliminary research on cryotherapy and mental health also supports this claim.
A small study found that in a third of people with depression or anxiety, cryotherapy reduced symptoms by at least 50 percent. This was a much greater reduction than in people who did not undergo cryotherapy.
The chronic inflammatory skin condition known as eczema can cause intensely itchy patches of dry skin. A small study of people with eczema had participants stop using eczema medications. They then tried cryotherapy. Many of them saw improvements in their eczema symptoms, though some complained of frostbite on small areas of the skin.
Targeted cryotherapy that focuses on the neck may help prevent migraine headaches. In a study, researchers applied cryotherapy to the necks of people who had migraines. The treatment reduced but did not eliminate their pain.
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